Introduction
Today we are going to conclude our series focusing on the idea that we need to make time in our daily lives for prayer. Three weeks ago we looked at prayer through the lens of presence, specifically God's omnipresence, as we unpacked the purpose of prayer, the benefits of prayer, and the things we can bring to God in prayer. Two weeks ago we spent our time looking at the idea of how God invites all of us to pray and gives us guidelines to help us draw closer to God. Last week we looked at those areas that can cause barriers between God and ourselves and ways we can work on removing them. Today we are going to bring this altogether by looking at the importance of listening, why it is difficult, and what advice Scripture gives us to help us listen to our Heavenly Father.
Illustration
Writer Charles Swindoll once found himself with too many commitments in too few days. He got nervous and tense about it. "I was snapping at my wife and our children, choking down my food at mealtimes, and feeling irritated at those unexpected interruptions through the day," he recalled in his book Stress Fractures. "Before long, things around our home started reflecting the patter of my hurry-up style. It was becoming unbearable.
"I distinctly remember after supper one evening, the words of our younger daughter, Colleen. She wanted to tell me something important that had happened to her at school that day. She began hurriedly, 'Daddy, I wanna tell you somethin' and I'll tell you really fast.'
"Suddenly realizing her frustration, I answered, 'Honey, you can tell me -- and you don't have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly." "I'll never forget her answer: 'Then listen slowly.'"
How do we Listen?
Speed kills. Especially in our prayer time. This whole series we have been focusing on taking time to pray, slowing down to pray, and being intentional about our prayer life. How many of you have every seen any type of racing machine? My dad used take my brother and I to Daytona every year for the Daytona 500. Daniel would go one year and I the next. It was one of my dad's ways of spending one on one time with each of his boys and 100,000 of our closest friends. Anyway, I can vividly remember the vibrations in my chest as those cars raced past me. Did you know those cars reach 9,000 rpms, revolutions per minute? That is power.
Did you also know most Americans live their life at just about the same pace. We have been trained to wake up, get going, and stay going till our heads hit the pillow. We can be viewed as lazy, underachievers otherwise. And retirement is not always the answer. I have talked to retirees that tell me they are busier now that when they were working for someone else.
Folks, we need to slow down. For those of you that have figured it out, you possess an incredible wisdom that the rest of us could learn from. But the key is we need to slow down. And I am talking slowing down from the 9,000 rpms to about 500 rpms. Slow way down.
Now I can imagine your first comment is similar to mine as I was pondering this; easier said than done. So, how do we slow down? I have several suggestions, you can add a hundred more, but this is what I have found.
One is to journal. By getting a pad of paper and writing down some of your thoughts, you are forcing yourself to slow the pace. When you journal, do it in a quiet place where you can be uninterrupted. Start with the word 'yesterday' and go from there. Recount your day, what you did, how you felt, who you interacted with. But by writing this out, you not only make yourself slow down and focus, but since writing out a word takes time you mind relaxes and so do you.
Another practice is something we talked about a couple of weeks ago and that is to write out your daily prayers when you pray...daily. Again you are causing yourself to ramp down the speed, write out words, and focus.
And finally, this is what we have been focusing on for the last several weeks, take time to pray. Not a rehearsed prayer you can say in your sleep, one where you pour yourself out, off the top of your head, maybe even read from the prayer you just wrote.
These three things are simple things, habits you can begin, to help in your endeavor to slow down your life. And if these do not work for you, find something that will. Withdraw yourself, as Jesus did, remember our second Scripture lesson, and find a task that causes your mind and your body to focus and relax...to slow down.
Are you Listening?
So why is slowing down so important? I wholeheartedly believe it is impossible for us to listen to God if we don't. If our mind is racing about our day, our responsibilities, our check lists, or anything else, I do not think we will hear God's voice.
Our first Scripture lesson this morning paints that picture for us. The sons of Korah, temple assistants, write this beautiful tribute to God. Listen again from the Living Translation:
God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not fear when earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
A river brings joy to the city of our God,
the sacred home of the Most High.
God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed.
From the very break of day, God will protect it.
The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble!
God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts!
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress.
Come, see the glorious works of the Lord:
See how he brings destruction upon the world.
He causes wars to end throughout the earth.
He breaks the bow and snaps the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
And then it all culminates with the oft quoted passage in verse 10,
“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress.
After recounting God's majesty, power, and promise of protection, we are then told to be still, and know that I am God. Be still, and stand in God's presence. Be still, and spend time with God daily. Debbie and I have a wall in our house full of our pictures from the Holy Land. And during our time there the one thing that stood out to us the most, is that every significant church, site, artifact, and city we witnessed, we could feel the love of God. I could see how God was using these places and events to show me how much I was loved by God, how much you are loved by God. Above those pictures on our wall, we have the words, “Be still, and know that I am God!”
Will You Listen?
To be still is difficult, it is contrary to our culture. But is only through silence that we can hear God. Once you have slowed down, once your have prayed, and once you have listened, there is one more thing to do. Obey. When God speaks, obey. Sometimes those instructions can be clear, sometimes you might have to do a bit of discernment, but always obey. It does no good to do all the other things we have talked about if we do not obey.
Going Forth
So my challenge for all of us, is to be still and know your God. Prayer is not a luxury, prayer is not a piece of advice. Prayer is crucial. I cannot stress enough the fundamental need for all of us to pray daily. Find that time, find that place where you can slow down, accept God invitation to a relationship, and pray. Adore God, confess to God, thank God, and pour your needs out before God. Tell God everything during your time together. And work on understanding the nature and depth of your requests so you do not get discouraged by unanswered prayer. And then listen. God has something to say, you just need to slow down and give God the opportunity to speak.
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